UFC BJJ
NICKY RODRIGUEZ EXCITED FOR UFC BJJ DEBUT
American Standout Talks UFC BJJ 6 Assignment, Options Going Forward
“The Black Belt Slayer” is poised to make his first appearance in the UFC BJJ Bowl on Thursday night as Nicky Rodriguez faces Elder Cruz in the final non-title match at UFC BJJ 6.
The former Danaher Death Squad and current B-Team member has been a standout in the no-gi grappling world for years and is no stranger to competing at the Meta APEX, having made multiple appearances under the UFC Fight Pass Invitational banner. But his match with Cruz on Thursday represents his first foray under the UFC BJJ umbrella, with the 29-year-old expressing serious excitement about both the competition surface and the scoring criteria the promotion utilizes.
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“I’m quite excited for The Bowl itself,” began Rodriguez, speaking with UFC.com earlier in the week. “In the past, my opponents have really looked to run away from me — kind of backpedal and work the edge, and there are a ton of resets.
“I’m a fairly explosive guy, and when I attack, there’s a long sequence, and these guys look to run, but it’s gonna be really difficult for my opponent to run when we are in The Bowl. We’ve got some walls up, and I’m really excited for that.
“I think the scoring system the UFC is implementing is really interesting,” he added. “They’ve valuing submission attempts, control, positional control, and utter dominance when it comes to scoring, and in addition to that, you have the walls of The Bowl, which entices more jiu jitsu.
“When it comes to competing, the more jiu-jitsu that happens, the more it benefits me.”
"Anything below the eyebrows is neck" - Nicky Rod
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The Natty King makes his UFC BJJ debut against Elder Cruz NEXT THURSDAY at #UFCBJJ6!
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An interesting subplot to this week’s event at the Meta APEX is that while Rodriguez is competing at heavyweight on Thursday in his match with Cruz, he also holds a previous win over current UFC BJJ light heavyweight titleholder Mason Fowler, who defends his belt for the first time against Pedro Machado in the main event of Thursday's card in Las Vegas.
So would Rodriguez prefer to stick around at heavyweight and see a title introduced there or perhaps head down to light heavyweight and seek out an opportunity against Fowler, should he retain his title?
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“I think a heavyweight title would be cool, but I could compete in either weight class,” he said. “I could make 205 (pounds) tomorrow if I needed to, or I’ll compete against big guys at 260, 280 pounds; it doesn’t really matter. I’m a relatively small or light heavyweight, but I take on challenges of all sizes.
“I’ll take the belt because it means more money, but I’m the kind of guy where I just chase more progress,” Rodriguez added honestly. “I want to see myself get absolutely as good as possible, and whatever happens from that happens.”
Like so many in the sport, Rodriguez is constantly competing and on a forever quest to progress his game, recognizing every opportunity as a chance to learn and grow as a competitor and a martial artist.
Though he hasn’t competed under the UFC BJJ banner yet, and it’s been a year since his last UFC FPI showing against Brazilian Victor Hugo, that time has been spent on the mats, both at Simple Man Martial Arts in Austin, Texas, and various elite competitions, and the confident American standout believes the progress he’s made will show on Thursday.
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“I learn a lot every time I compete, regardless of the outcome,” began Rodriguez, who is a black belt under Craig Jones. “I learned to keep learning. For me, the last year has been constant progress. I think more than even just competing well, I looked to constantly get better, and this event, I’m looking to display the best version of myself.
“I’ve grown in a multitude of ways, and you guys will see that on Thursday.”
While rematches carry elevated weight and significance in MMA, especially when contested within the elite set, the best in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world can often find themselves sharing the mats with a cadre of familiar foes over the course of their careers.
Rodriguez has faced Cruz in the past, dropping a split decision to the Brazilian in a 10-minute light heavyweight matchup at a Who’s Number One event in early 2022. Though he didn’t address this as a rematch, Rodriguez was concise when asked for his assessment of his opponent’s abilities and confident that when they meet in the UFC BJJ Bowl on Thursday, the victory —and the finish —will come.
“My opponent, Elder Cruz, is pretty good, and I’ll do what I always do: go out there, expose their weakness, and find the submission,” he said when asked his thoughts on the pairing and how he sees it playing out. “In this game of jiu jitsu, I’ve learned you can’t force things, but when the submission comes —and it will come, it will expose itself — I’ll take advantage of it.”
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